Framingham: Stockless declines recount in School Committee race

FRAMINGHAM – Despite losing by only three votes, School Committee member Jim Stockless will not pursue a recount.

In an interview Wednesday, Stockless said he informed the town clerk he would not seek a recount given the victory of the charter proposal, which will usher in a new city government next year.

The group Not This Charter, which opposed the city government proposal, has pulled papers to petition for a recount of the charter vote. The group must obtain the signatures of 10 voters in each of the town's 18 precincts by April 14.

The proposal for a city form of government won by just 108 votes out of more than 11,000.

Stockless, elected to his first three-year term in 2014, came in fourth in a five-way race for three seats, trailing challenger Cheryl Gordon 4,292 votes to 4,289 votes, according to official results from the town clerk.

“With the charter passing, this is a very abbreviated School Committee term,” Stockless said. “It’s basically from now until November, and I don’t see any sense in me going though a hand count and mucking up the start of it.”

School Committee member Donald Taggart III also lost his seat in Tuesday’s election, placing fifth out of five candidates.

Incumbent Michelle Brosnahan was the race’s top-vote getter, followed by newcomer Scott Wadland, president of the Framingham Townwide PTO.

Gordon and Wadland were sworn-in and will attend the School Committee's meeting Wednesday night, when the board will elect new leadership.

Stockless has not decided whether he will run for the committee again in the Nov. 7 election being held to elect leaders of the new city government, including a mayor and 11 city councilors.

“I want to see what this School Committee does and who else is running and if I feel that it’s important for my voice to be on the committee in November, I will run,” Stockless said.

Jonathan Dame can be reached at 508-626-3919 or jdame@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @DameReports